Monday, March 1, 2010

Monday Moment #59: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my character(s) better just by answering the question. I hope you do too. )

You won't believe what I heard the other night!

I was at the beach. It was a beautiful night, not too many clouds, and a nearly-full moon.

There's something very cool about walking and sitting on the beach at night; a completely different experience than the daytime variety. Certainly there was a visual aspect, but it's the other senses that make you "see" it in a different way at night.

I could actually see fairly well (well enough to walk without a flashlight) because the moon was bright. There were clouds floating across the moon, lights across the way, and the water a flat of silver, plus logs and rocks and birds shadowed on the beach. Of course there was also that salty sea air, but it was really all about the sounds; the lull of waves, the screeching of the Killdeer, and the scampering of birds and who-knows-what other critters all around me. I sat there, on a huge driftwood log, taking it all in until an unexpected sound took me by surprise. A big whoosh of air came from out in the water, followed by a splash that sounded like an over-sized man in a belly flop competition.

I listened to the same repeating sounds for at least five minutes until they moved further and further away from me. I'm certain it could have only been one thing; a whale. I strained to look, to get visual proof, but saw nothing. But I trust my sense of sound.

I'm sure I HEARD a whale that night, and it was just as cool as seeing one.

What is something your character experiences with a sense other than sight?